Master Gardener for Aug. 24

Q: My juniper shrub has small brown pine conelike growths hanging from the tips of its branches. What is going on?

— J.G., Republic

Answered by Rose Utley, Master Gardner of Greene County. What you are seeing is an evergreen bagworm infestation. The bags range from .5 to 2.5 inches long, and each bag may contain up to 1,000 bagworm eggs. Bagwormspass the winter as eggs inside these elliptical-shaped bags.

The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on needles and leaves and surround themselves with needles to form a new cocoon. If you watch closely, you may even see the little bags moving because of the little larva inside.

Once they begin to multiply, they can spread to numerous locations, and will be more difficult to control. If not killed, successive generations of caterpillars can eventually defoliate large branches or an entire plant.

Fortunately, it's not too late to do something. There are several methods of control of bagworms. Hand pick the bags off the shrub and burn, crush, drown or bury them. Or after the larva has hatched, use an insecticide. Bacillus thuringiensis is a naturally occurring bacteria that, once ingested by the larva, attacks the nervous system and kills it.

Q: I missed the first Learn to Grow class on lavender. Are there other classes scheduled?

– G.H., Springfield

Answered by David Burton, county program director. Yes. The September "Learn to Grow in the Garden" class hosted by the Master Gardeners of Greene County will focus on beautiful and edible garlic.

The class will begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 2 on the lawn near the Master Gardener Demonstration Vegetable Garden north of the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic Ave.

Kipfer will teach the difference between hard neck and soft neck garlic as well as heirloom varieties, garlic-scapes, planting, harvesting, cleaning and storing.

A pound of seed garlic bulbs will yield about 40 plants. Planting occurs in mid-September for a June harvest, so it is time to order your garlic stock now.

For more information call 417-881-8909 ext. 311, or visit the Master Gardeners of Greene County online at www.mggreene.org.

Q: Is the Master Gardener hotline still open?

— O.F., Bois D'arc

Answered by Cathy Statts, Greene County master gardener. The Master Gardeners of Greene County Hotline is staffed with trained volunteers from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. until noon Saturdays from March through October. Those volunteers they can be reached by telephone at 417-881-8909 ext. 320, or by email at hotline@mggreene.org.

Visitors are always welcome to come in to the Hotline Room in the west end of the Springfield Botanical Center at 2400 S. Scenic Avenue. Visit with Master Gardeners and bring a sample of your problem with you.

Readers can pose questions or get more information by calling 417-881-8909 and talking to one of the trained volunteers staffing the Mas­ter Gardener Hotline at the University of Missouri Exten­sion Center in Greene County located inside the Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, MO 65807.